Fill Yourself with Love, Laughter, and Life. Not Alcohol.
By Adrienne Kaliszak
Upon stopping alcohol, you will be amazed at all the free time you have on your hands. During the first month or so my main goal (still is) was to make it to bed without drinking each day. If I didn’t do anything else but not drink it was a great day. It was difficult to focus at first while my brain worked at repairing itself. Soon that fog lifted, and I regained my focus. It was then I was able to think about adding some things into my life to fill up all the time I now suddenly had.
You’ll learn it’s not just about the alcohol. It’s about creating a life that has meaning and purpose. A life you enjoy, that gives you a sense of pride and purpose. A life that you create. No one else, you. You get to choose how you will live your life and what you will add or take away from it to make it the best life you can have. A life that you look at and think “Damn, I really love my life!”.
You may not be there yet, and you may not even believe that’s possible right now. That’s ok. This is a marathon not a sprint, and you will get there when you get there. For today it’s amazing to just focus on not drinking for the day. The time will come though, and you will feel ready to add to your life.
You can begin adding to your life by trying out new things or even old things you once loved doing as a kid, that you’d like to do again.
Some things I tried out during my first year of sobriety was playing the flute again, experimenting with clay and slime, beading, drawing, and writing. I am still drawing and writing today.
Figure out your own interests and talents though. Experiment and see what brings joy and happiness to you. Do things that you lose sense of time when doing them because you’re so enthralled with the activity at hand.
By not being afraid to try new things out when I quit alcohol, I now am writing and drawing part time and am getting paid for it too.
It really is unbelievable the world that opens for you when you ditch the booze.
I asked some friends what they added to their lives when they became alcohol free, and here are their responses:
Maureen, who proudly lives a sober lifestyle said,
“I took singing lessons. I knew that I would have trouble sitting on the patio with my hubby listening to music and remain AF, because we often spent late afternoons listening to his music and drinking. In order to break the association, I took his playlist and played it in the car and sang along for months. It broke the association but made me realize how bad I was at singing. So as a sober treat, I booked a series of 5 lessons with a professional singing coach. She was a lovely lady, very encouraging and I really enjoyed it. Now I sing along all the time at home on the patio, with no triggers. I may know a little more about breathing, music but not ready for prime time.”
Lisa, a sober revolutionist shared,
“(I) Joined arts and crafts workshops at the local library (free of charge), took crochet lessons, bought a guitar and am relearning how to play it.”
Vicki Durham leaned on her faith and responded,
“I read my Bible and prayed a lot. Forever grateful that He changed my life!!!”
Other ideas you can consider adding to your alcohol-free journey may include, journaling, exercising, meditation, writing letters to loved ones, or planning a trip with the money you’ll now be saving from being alcohol free. The possibilities are endless. The world is truly your oyster now, so shuck away and create the life you’ve always dreamed of having.
'Your windshield is bigger than your rearview for a reason; the mirror is there to help you glance back at where you’ve been, but if you focus too much on it, you’re going to crash.
We are ALL affected by our past and we are ALL reminded of it now and again, but we cannot live in it unless we want to repeat it over and over again. We need to learn from it, take lessons from it, know what’s good (and not good) for us, and adjust accordingly. Mistakes are only mistakes until we learn from them and then they become lessons.'
Love this from the Your Tango blog, it sums up the need for a forward focused growth mindset in sobriety and life in general.
#keepmovingforward #positivequotes #positivity #yourtango #growthmindset #growthquotes #motivationalquotes #motivation #soberquotes #sobrietyquotes #lookforwardnotback #leavethepastbehind #movingforward #quotestagram #selfhelpquotes #positivemindset
Having an amazing time in #Japan and managed to head south out of Tokyo for a few days today to Kamakura by the ocean.
The drinking culture here is totally different to the UK, but all the bars are full, not many AF options either, but I wouldn’t want to visit such an amazing place and spoil it by boozing.
#tokyo #kamakura #tokyonight #tokyoneon #kamakuratemple #japaneseshrine #buddhisttemple #japantravel #tokyotrip #ramen #japaneseculture #japanlife
Wow! Rock Bottom & Rising has won the GOLD medal at the @nautilusbookawards for the best Addiction Recovery Memoir.
The book has 21 incredible stories by real people who have quit alcohol and turned their lives around, it is a truly inspirational read.
So this award is for everyone who contributed to the book, congratulations and thank you!
#bestbooks #nautilusbookaward #nautilusbookawards #nautilusbookawardwinner #sheldonpress #hatchettebookgroup #hodderandstoughton #addictionbooks #adictionmemoir #alcoholbooks #sobrietybooks #soberbooks
Woohoo! Just seen one of my books on the shelf @theworksstores #anxiety #anxietybook #theworks #bookshop #selfhelpbook #bookstore
Just finished recording a piece with @itvnews about the growing number of people quitting alcohol and the sobriety movement as a whole.
It airs next week, so look out for my shiny head on your TV screens.
#itv #sobriety #itvnews #sobermovement #sobercoach #tvinterview #newsstory #alcoholfree #soberlife #sobrietyrules
These two inspiring books from leading sobriety coach Simon Chapple are out today!
Read more...Repost @sheldon.press
Featuring contributions from some of the most well-known personalities in the Sober Space, Rock Bottom and Rising brings us real, raw, relatable stories from individuals who’ve found joy in an alcohol-free life.
The perfect companion to Rock Bottom – The Sober Life Journal captures the essence of journaling and provides space to grow and develop as you embark on a sober life. With hundreds of writing prompts, pages for reflection, focus, inspiration and guided exercises, this beautiful new journal supports your intention to create something lasting and meaningful to accompany you on your journey to an alcohol-free life.
Ideal for anyone contemplating a sober life come the new year, or from #dryjanuary.
Find out more in our bio.
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#RockBottomandRising #SoberLife #Sober #SobrietyCoach #Sobriety #StopDrinking #Freefromalcohol #AlcoholFree #SoberBook #SimonChapple #BeSober #Howtogosober #quittingalcohol #teetotaller #teetotal #alcoholism #aa #cutdown #alcoholic #thisnakedmind #addiction #problemdrinking #soberjourney
Watch the best videos from my YouTube Stop Drinking Channel
Watch my video below – The Best Quit Alcohol Books
Read on for more of the very best quit alcohol books.
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If you need some inspiration, check this out…
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3 – 7 tips for the first week of sobriety – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq4x0vBEwMw&t
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